Workspace structure

ABSTRACT

A partition structure which forms a pair of dental operatories and other work areas in a room of a building, each of the operatories extending in a semicircle of small radius and opening away from the other operatory. The opposite ends of each operatory are spaced from the walls of the building to leave a corridor around each end, and each operatory has a patient chair mounted about halfway between the opposite ends of the operatory, so that even though each operatory is small and efficient to work in, the patient has a feeling of being in a large room. A curved cabinet extends along half of each operatory from one end thereof, the other half of the wall being devoid of cabinets, so that an assistant seated at the curved cabinet can efficiently handle all equipment and so that the dentist can readily move in the region which is devoid of cabinets.

"United States Patent [19] Rota I45] Dec.2,1975

[73] Assignee: Ergonamic Environments, Inc., Los

Angeles, Calif.

[22] Filed: July 13, 1973 [21] Appl. No: 379,051

OTHER PUBLICATIONS Weber Dental, Operatary Layouts, Sept. 30, 1971, p. 9842-8. Weber Dental, Operatory Layouts, Sept. 30, 1971, pp. 974l9742-b. American Modular Dental Cabinets, 1966, p. 3.

Primary E.raminer-Louis C. Mancene Assistant Examiner-J. Q. Lever Attorney, Agent, or FirmLindenberg, Freilich, Wasserman, Rosen & Fernandez [5 7] ABSTRACT A partition structure which forms a pair of dental operatories and other work areas in a room of a building, each of the operatories extending in a semicircle of small radius and opening away from the other operatory. The opposite ends of each operatory are spaced from the walls of the building to leave a corridor around each end, and each operatory has a patient chair mounted about halfway between the opposite ends of the operatory, so that even though each operatory is small and efficient to work in, the patient has a feeling of being in a large room. A curved cabinet extends along half of each operatory from one end thereof, the other half of the wall being devoid of cabinets, so that an assistant seated at the curved cabinet can efficiently handle all equipment and so that the dentist can readily move in the region which is devoid of cabinets.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures U.S. Patnt Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,922,788

US. Patent Dec.2, 1975 Sheet 2.0m 3,922,788

WORKSPACE STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a partition type of structure which forms workspaces within a room of a building.

A dental office generally includes two or more operatories where the dentist operates on a patient, and auxiliary rooms where assistants sterilize equipment, develop x-rays and perform other tasks. A dental office may be constructed in a medical building by erecting ordinary straight partitioning walls that form several rectangular rooms, routing plumbing and other utility lines to locations in the various rooms, and installing the necessary cabinets and other fixtures. However, dental offices constructed in this way are often poorly designed, so that there is a considerable waste of time and effort in day-to-day use. The office design also often wastes considerable rented space and requires high installation costs.

A dental office can be designed for highly efficient use, but this requires considerable time and designing talent which may not be available at a reasonable cost when setting up each office. Also, compromises sometimes must be made between efficient use and cost of installation, since certain installation costs are very high. For example, a large charge is commonly made for the drilling of each hole in a concrete floor of a medical building to bring utility'lines to that location, and therefore a minimum number of utility stations may be provided to minimize the costs. The saving of rented space may be difficult where pleasant and at tractive operatories are desired, because even though the dentist may work well in a small office where equipment is handy, the patients comfort may be adversely affected by the small size. A dental office which could be constructed with operatories and other workspaces designed for great efficiency of use and available rented space, minimum installation costs, and high patient comfort, would have great value to the dental profession and patients.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a dental office structure is provided which permits a highly efficient dental practice and which can be installed at a minimal cost. The office structure includes walls that partition a room in a building into a group of operatory workspaces clustered about a central core. The workspace walls are spaced from the walls of the building to provide a corridor for moving from one work area to the other, and to provide the patient with the feeling that he is in a large room. The structure forms a pair of operatories with walls that extend in a half-circle of small radius of curvature. A dental chair is mounted between the opposite ends of the curved wall. The patient normally faces the open space rather than the highly curved operatory wall, so that he feels as though he is in a room of reasonably large size. Both the doctor and his assistant are, however, in an area of small radius of curvature. The workspace facilitates the work of the dentist and assistant, while minimizing apprehension and discomfort to patients.

A curved cabinet extends along half of the semicircular wall of each operatory workspace, from one end thereof, so that a dental assistant seated at the cabi net can easily reach all regions thereof with a minimum of motion. The dentist is seated in the other half of the region that is enclosed by the curved walls and which is devoid of cabinets, so that he can move in that area. A typical high intensity light illuminates the patients mouth, and a dentist can keep his gaze on this high intensity area while receiving ail tools and equipment from his assistant. As a result, the dentists gaze does not have to often change between the highly illuminated area and the less bright surroundings, thereby reducing eye strain and body stress.

Each end of each operatory includes a wash-up sink, so that a dentist moving from one operatory to the other, or from an auxiliary workspace to an operatory, can wash his hands without walking to a wash-up room. A structure containing two main operatories and a smaller minor operatory, utilizes a single x-ray unit. The x-ray unit is located in a core area adjacent to all three operatories, and openings in each operatory permit access to the x-ray unit. The utilities, particularly plumbing lines, of the structure extend to a common core area where the utilities are connected to utility lines in the building, so that a minimum number of holes in a concrete floor are required, and yet utility outlets are liberally provided for high efficiency of use.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dental office structure constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing one of the main operatories of the structure of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the minor operatory and workrooms of the structure of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The figures illustrate a partition and office structure 10, that is located within a room 12 of a building B. The partition structure 10is in the form of three lobes l4, l6, 18 that radiate from a central core region 20 and that form three workspaces 22, 24, and 26. Two of the workspaces 22, 24 are main operatories which are normally utilized by a dentist in performing dental operations on patients. Minor operatory 26 is somewhat smaller than the others and is utilized by aides of the dentist, such as a hygienist. The structure also provides two auxiliary rooms 28, 30 which are respectively used for sterilizing equipment and for processing x-ray film. The partition structure 10 is a prefabricated unit that contains most of the fixtures utilized in dental work. However, chairs and lights are also utilized that are placed on the floor and ceiling. A patients chair 32, an assistants chair 34, and a dentists chair 36 are provided at each major operatory. Also, a pair of general lighting fixtures 38 and a high intensity lamp 40 are provided at each major operatory and are mounted on the ceiling thereat.

The partition and office structure is designed to fit into a room 12 of minimal size. Each main operatory or workspace, such as workspace 22, is formed by a wall 22W of a small radius of curvature R that is normally less than the height of a patient, or in other words less than 6 feet, to conserve space and enhance the effieiency of the dentist and his assistant. Such a small workspace could generate a claustrophogic reaction in patients. However, the wall 22W extends along only about a half-circle, or 180, and the partition structure is placed so that the opposite ends 22e, 22f, of the workspace or operatory 22, are spaced by a substantial distance such as a few feet from the walls 12w, l2.r of the room. It also can be seen from the figures that the walls of the structure are of a height greater than the eye level of a standing patient, which is normally about /2 feet for a moderately tall person of 6 feet height, to provide the privacy of a separate room. In addition, the patient chair 32 is positioned between the opposite ends 22e, 22f of the operatory wall, and so that the head H of the patient can lie within the imaginary line 41 and with the patient facing the walls of the room 12. As a result, the patient can view a large open area in the angle within the lines 42, 44, this open area extending to the walls of the room 12 so that the operatory appears to be large to the patient. The areas 45, 47 between the wall ends 22e, 22f and the walls of the room 12w, 12x are not wasted because this space is utilized as a corridor to permit the dentist and his assistants'to freely move from one workspace to another.

, Each of the main operatories 22, 24 includes a cabinet 50 that extends about 90 along the workspace wall, from one end of the operatory to the middle thereof. Thus, cabinet 50 extends from the end wall 22f to about the midpoint 22m of the operatory. An assistant A is seated within the curved cabinet 50 and can readily reach all cabinet portions to supply tools and equipment to the dentist. The dentist D is positioned in the other portion 52 of the operatory which is devoid of such a cabinet, so that the dentist can freely move within this area at the side of the patient opposite the dental assistant A.

The high intensity light 40 is positioned to provide a high illumination intensity at the mouth of the patient where the dentist is working. The fact that there is a minimum of cabinetry near the dentist means that he is encouraged to maintain his vision at the highly illuminated region at the patient, and to rely upon his assistant to obtain supplies. This is not only efficient in saving time and movement, but it also reduces eye strain that can result from the dentist constantly shifting his vision from a highly illuminated area to a much less brightly illuminatedarea. The dental assistant A is able to reach all supplies with a minimum of strain because the cabinet 50 is small and highly curved about her. The assistant A can normally .reach all regions of the cabinet without getting up from her chair and without straining. Thus, the highly curved wall 22W of the workspace not only saves space without resulting in a claustrophobic effect on the patient, but also promotes the daily work of the dentist and his assistant by locating all supplies close to the assistant for rapid and low effort transmittal to the dentist and by encouraging the dentist to not shift his gaze away from the highly illuminated mouth region of the patient. If the dental assistant is not available, the dentist can rotate the chair so that he patients head lies at the location where the assistant would otherwise be seated, and the dentist then can reach all supplies.

The partition and office structure is provided with three wash-up sinks 60, 62 and 64 that are located at the ends of the three lobes l4, l6, 18 of the structure. These sinks provide a wash-up facility at the ends of each main operatory 22, 24 so that the dentist can wash his hands in moving from one work area to another, without requiring him to walk to a separate cleanup area. The washing of hands is normally done every time the dentist moves into an operatory, and the provision of a wash-up sink at each end of each main operatory therefore eliminates wasted steps and yet does not add clutter to the operatory itself.

The partition structure 10 has a major advantage over previous dental office designs in that it minimizes installation costs. An important cost of constructing a dental office is the cost of making connections to utility lines in the building. A large number of utility lines may be required, including those for hot and cold water, drain, pressured air and vacuum, and electricity. Connections are normally made through the floor of the building, and in modern structures this entails the cutting of holes in the concrete floor. Each hole involves a considerable charge, and therefore the provision of many sinks and other utility areas results in a considerable cost. The partition and office structure 10 of the present invention utilizes a utility core where a single connection is made to each utility line in the building, so that only one hole must be cut in the concrete floor. All of the utility lines are taken from the core area and led to the various sinks and other outlets that are arranged along the unitary partition structure, as along the routes 72, 74, and 76.

One of the major costs of a dental office is the cost of x-ray units. Each of the main operatories 22, 24 requires an x-ray unit, and the minor operatory 26 also may require access to such a unit. In order to minimize capital costs, a single x-ray unit is provided which includes a base portion 82 mounted in the core region 20 of the partition structure, an extendable holder 84, and an x-ray head 86 mounted at the end of the holder. In addition, openings 88, 90 and 92 are provided in the operatories 22, 24, 26 opposite the x-ray unit to permit access of the head 86. Each of the openings is normally covered by a covering 94. A dental assistant can take x-rays of a patient in one of the operatories, such as 22, by opening the cover 94 and pulling out the head 86 of the unit, the extendable holder 84 being constructed to permit a great enough movement of the x-ray head so that it can reach the patient in the chair. A normal extendable holder 84 can be utilized which readily fits within the core area because the distance from any of the openings, such as 88, to the seated patient is small due to the shape of the operatory walls.

One of the most common and time consuming tasks of a dental assistant is the preparation of trays of equipment for use by the dentist. The partition and office structure is constructed to facilitate this task, and particularly to reduce the amount of handling of the trays in moving them from the sterilizing and preparation area to a storage area, and from the storage area to the operatory when the dentist requires them. This is accomplished by providing an opening between the sterilization room 28 and the operatory 22, and by providing storage shelves 102 at the opening. This permits the dental assistant to sterilize the equipment and to make up trays in the sterilization room, and to immediately insert each tray into the storage shelf 102 from the sterilization room. Also, when the dental assistant is seated on the chair 34 in aiding the dentist, she has ready access to all of the trays, and can removeany one of them and place it in a holding ,container'l04. This eliminates the need for the assistant to load each tray onto a cart, move the cart around to a storage area and then unload the cart, and also eliminates the need for the assistant to move from her seat 34 to obtain the needed tray. An additional opening and storage station 104 is provided for the other operatory 24 so that trays are at hand to an assistant thereat. The loading of trays into the station 104', however, requires that they be carried either from the sterilization room or from the shelves at 102.

Thus, the invention provides a workspace installation which greatly contributes to the efficiency of the works while also efficiently utilizing the available floor space and minimizing installation costs. This is accomplished by utilizing a partition structure which divides a room in a building into a plurality of workspaces, and which also provides most of the major equipment and utilities required in the work. Each of the major workspaces is partially defined by a wall of small radius of curvature so that the workers are close to all equipment, thereby minimizing the time and effort required to reach and search for equipment. While a semi-circular curved wall is generally preferred, oval or other shapes can be used with a small average radius of curvature defined by three points at the opposite ends and middle of the wall 22e, 22f, 22m as seen in a plan view. A comfortable feeling is produced in clients in spite of'the highly curved wall, because a large portion of the workspace is open so that the clients view extends to the walls of the large room that contains the partitioning structure. An opening of at least about one-third of a circle or 120, and preferably a half-circle or about 180, should be provided about the patients head so that he sees open space within his field of view. The partition structure also effectively isolates the different workspaces from one another because the curved walls reflect sound away from the other workspaces, and yet easy access is provided through corridors around the workspaces for the workers to move from one workspace to another. The partition and office structure is especially useful for dental offices, but is also useable in other operatory situations where a professional must perform tasks on a client, as in certain medical, cosmetic or beautician, and other treatment offices.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art and consequently it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. In a building having a room, the improvement of a dental operatory structure comprising:

a partition structure of a height of at least 5 /2 feet for dividing the room into a plurality of major workspaces, the wall of each workspace extending in a small radius of curvature extending approximately 180 so that about one-half of the workspace is open, the opposite ends of each workspace wall being spaced from the side walls of the room to create an open effect to a patient positioned between the opposite ends of the workspace wall and to provide a corridor for the dentist in moving between the workspaces, a first and second of said workspaces having walls whose ends lie adjacent to one another so that as a dentist passes by one of said wall ends into the corridor, he enters the other workspace within a few steps; and

a patient-holding chair mounted between the opposite ends of the workspace to provide an open effect to a patient in the chair.

2. The improvement described in claim 1 wherein:

each of said major workspaces is curved substantially in a half circle along its entire height.

3. The improvement described in claim 1 wherein:

said partition structure defines a wash-up sink along said corridor which extends between said adjacent ends of said first and second workspaces, so that a dentist can wash his hands while passing between said workspaces.

4. An operatory installation comprising:

a building having walls defining a room of predetermined length and width; and

a partition structure mounted within the room and having three lobes radiating from a core region, each pair of lobes forming a curved workspace wall that extends in approximately a half circle with a radius of curvature less than one-fourth the length of the room and with the opposite ends of each workspace wall spaced from the room wall to leave a corridor therebetween, two of the workspaces being major workspaces and a third workspace being a minor workspace, the lobes on either side of the minor workspace forming a pair of auxiliary workrooms with entrances located on either side of the minor workspace and facing away from the major workspaces.

5. Anoperatory comprising:

a wall of at least 5- /2 feet height which is curved about a vertical axis and which extends in substantially a semi-circle of a radius of curvature of less than 6 feet;

a curved cabinet extending along about one-quarter of a circle from one end of the wall to approximately the middle, the other half of the wall being substantially devoid of cabinets to permit free movement thereabout; and

a chair disposed within the workspace area partially encircled by the curved wall for holding a patient so his head can lie in a space bounded by the curved wall and an imaginary straight line extending between the opposite ends of the wall.

6. A dental office installation comprising:

a building having walls defining a room of predetermined length and width;

a partition structure of at least 5- /2 feet height mounted within the room and having at least two adjoining concave main workspace-defining walls that each partially encloses a main workspace, each of said workspace-defining wall extending in substantially a curve of about that has a radius of curvature of less than one-fourth the length of the room, and the opposite ends of each workspace-defining wall being spaced from the walls of the room to leave a corridor at either end of each workspace for the free passage of the dentist, the ends of two of said workspaces defining walls lying adjacent to each other to form a common corridor so that as a dentist passes around one edge of a workspace he enters the adjoining workspace.

7. The installation described in claim 6 wherein:

of one of said workspace-defining walls to approximately the center thereof, the other approximately of the wall being devoid of a cabinet, whereby to provide a convenient cabinet for an assistant on one side of the patient and an open space for free movement ofa dentist who is aided by the assistant.

l l l l l 

1. In a building having a room, the improvement of a dental operatory structure comprising: a partition structure of a height of at least 5 1/2 feet for dividing the room into a plurality of major workspaces, the wall of each workspace extending in a small radius of curvature extending approximately 180* so that about one-half of the workspace is open, the opposite ends of each workspace wall being spaced from the side walls of the room to create an open effect to a patient positioned between the opposite ends of the workspace wall and to provide a corridor for the dentist in moving between the workspaces, a first and second of said workspaces having walls whose ends lie adjacent to one another so that as a dentist passes by one of said wall ends into the corridor, he enters the other workspace within a few steps; and a patient-holding chair mounted between the opposite ends of the workspace to provide an open effect to a patient in the chair.
 2. The improvement described in claim 1 wherein: each of said major workspaces is curved substantially in a half circle along its entire height.
 3. The improvement described in claim 1 wherein: said partition structure defines a wash-up sink along said corridor which extends between said adjacent ends of said first and second workspaces, so that a dentist can wash his hands while passing between said workspaces.
 4. An operatory installation comPrising: a building having walls defining a room of predetermined length and width; and a partition structure mounted within the room and having three lobes radiating from a core region, each pair of lobes forming a curved workspace wall that extends in approximately a half circle with a radius of curvature less than one-fourth the length of the room and with the opposite ends of each workspace wall spaced from the room wall to leave a corridor therebetween, two of the workspaces being major workspaces and a third workspace being a minor workspace, the lobes on either side of the minor workspace forming a pair of auxiliary workrooms with entrances located on either side of the minor workspace and facing away from the major workspaces.
 5. An operatory comprising: a wall of at least 5- 1/2 feet height which is curved about a vertical axis and which extends in substantially a semi-circle of a radius of curvature of less than 6 feet; a curved cabinet extending along about one-quarter of a circle from one end of the wall to approximately the middle, the other half of the wall being substantially devoid of cabinets to permit free movement thereabout; and a chair disposed within the workspace area partially encircled by the curved wall for holding a patient so his head can lie in a space bounded by the curved wall and an imaginary straight line extending between the opposite ends of the wall.
 6. A dental office installation comprising: a building having walls defining a room of predetermined length and width; a partition structure of at least 5- 1/2 feet height mounted within the room and having at least two adjoining concave main workspace-defining walls that each partially encloses a main workspace, each of said workspace-defining wall extending in substantially a curve of about 180* that has a radius of curvature of less than one-fourth the length of the room, and the opposite ends of each workspace-defining wall being spaced from the walls of the room to leave a corridor at either end of each workspace for the free passage of the dentist, the ends of two of said workspaces defining walls lying adjacent to each other to form a common corridor so that as a dentist passes around one edge of a workspace he enters the adjoining workspace.
 7. The installation described in claim 6 wherein: said partition structure includes a sink at said common corridor, so that a dentist can wash his hands while passing between the workspaces without having to walk to a washup area in another region of the office.
 8. The installation described in claim 6 including: a cabinet extending approximately 90* from one end of one of said workspace-defining walls to approximately the center thereof, the other approximately 90* of the wall being devoid of a cabinet, whereby to provide a convenient cabinet for an assistant on one side of the patient and an open space for free movement of a dentist who is aided by the assistant. 